-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He won his first major at Augusta , played several rounds there with the President of the United States and racked up a record 50 consecutive Masters appearances -- but that 's not what leaps to Arnold Palmer 's mind when he reflects on the Georgia course .

He points instead to the way in which the Masters -- the only one of golf 's four major tournaments to take place at the same course every year -- has spread the gospel of golf across Palmer 's home nation .

`` I think the Masters is something that has brought golf to the American people in a way that no other course and no other golf course could do , '' the 84-year-old told CNN .

`` They rally around Augusta , and not just people in the southeastern states . They come from California , Washington , Wisconsin -- everywhere -- and that brings a certain mystique to the surface . ''

`` Lloyd Mangrum once said to me : ` You know Arnie , I 've won a few golf tournaments in my life but I 'd give them all up for one Masters . ' ''

Unlike the late Mangrum , who won the U.S. Open in 1946 but twice finished runner-up at Augusta -LRB- where his lowest round of 64 was a tournament record for 46 years -RRB- , Palmer had no such problems .

In 1958 , just three years after turning pro , he took possession of the green jacket -- the first of four Masters triumphs , and of seven majors in total .

Forty-six years later , Palmer -- then 74 -- received an unforgettable standing ovation as he approached the 18th green for the final competitive time after half a century of contesting the course .

Latest scores : Masters leaderboard

Like Tiger Woods , who misses his first Masters this week because of back surgery , it is the tournament in which Palmer competed the most -- so what made it so special ?

`` Well , of course , the golf course itself . And the club is such a great place . Everything ! '' opined one of the sport 's all-time greats .

`` The location , the geography of the club , the way the course rolled , the condition -- it was always in impeccable condition , the greens were always good , the fairways .

`` The entire golf course was something that was a pleasure to be on and I just thoroughly enjoyed it . ''

The scene of his victories in 1958 , 1960 , 1962 and 1964 , Augusta was also where Palmer played plenty of golf with Dwight Eisenhower , the U.S. President of 1953-1961 .

Their first round came just hours after Palmer had won his first Masters in 1958 .

`` I was on the course when -LRB- then Augusta chairman -RRB- Cliff Roberts , a very close friend of Ike 's , came out and said the President had said he 'd like to play the next day if I had time and would join him , '' Palmer recalls .

It was the first of many rounds that the duo would enjoy together , with Palmer later describing the golf-obsessed Eisenhower as like a `` second father . ''

No mention of Eisenhower and Augusta can of course be made without recalling the loblolly pine that became one of the most famous trees in golf history .

Standing a little over 200 yards from the tee , to the left of the fairway , the tree was one that the sitting U.S. President , an Augusta member , wanted removed because of his tendency to hit it so often .

At a governors meeting in 1956 , the world 's most powerful man proposed that the tree be cut down -- only for his friend Roberts , acting in his capacity as chairman , to rule him out of order and adjourn the meeting .

The pine was swiftly nicknamed the `` Eisenhower Tree '' and had stood proud and unbowed until suffering unsustainable damage during a major ice storm this February .

While Augusta officials described the tree 's loss as `` difficult news to accept '' and have begun deliberations as to how best replace it , Palmer believes Eisenhower , who died in 1969 aged 78 , would have had a different viewpoint .

`` I 'm sure it did not make him unhappy that it was gone , '' he laughs .

`` But I think it was sort of a love-hate relationship . I think he got a kick out of complaining about the tree because it gave him a lot of trouble .

`` On the other hand , it was part of Augusta and a very important part . ''

Palmer himself actually hit the famous tree en route to winning one of his Masters titles , but there may be no such trouble in future for one of his grandchildren .

Sam Saunders , now 26 , turned pro three years ago and is fighting to return to his best form after losing his PGA Tour card after a disappointing 2013 .

Appropriately enough , he made his first PGA appearance at last month 's Arnold Palmer Invitational -- tying 43rd but beating the likes of K.J. Choi , Padraig Harrington and Chad Campbell nonetheless .

`` He 's a young man and he 's certainly getting some experience on playing professional golf , '' says his grandfather , who followed him around the course in a buggy .

`` He 's got a lot of challenges : a family he has to take care of , his game and winning . These are all major obstacles for him and things he must do to enjoy the game and his career as a professional golfer .

`` He has the opportunity , but it 's going to take a lot of hard work . ''

Something that Palmer , who ended a 59-year professional career at the age of 77 , knows all about .

@highlight

The Masters has been biggest boost to golf in United States , says Arnold Palmer

@highlight

Six decades on from first playing at Augusta , 84-year-old is still in thrall to its `` mystique ''

@highlight

Palmer is considered one of golf 's all-time greats , alongside Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player

@highlight

He won the Masters four times , level with Tiger Woods and two behind Nicklaus ' all-time record